


The Butterfly Effect

by mintedstar (forevermint)



Series: Sky of Shattered Stars [2]
Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anthropomorphic, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Discworld characters for a given definition of Discworld, Gen, More of 'based' of them, OoTs Spoilers!, POV Multiple, Tough choices about life and death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2020-10-27 05:57:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 17,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20755469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forevermint/pseuds/mintedstar
Summary: Life is Beautifully Ugly at times ...The cats of ThunderClan have to make a difficult decision ... do they accept the lives returned to them or do they fight against their destinies just so they can die again.





	1. Bloodclaw

The fondest wish of most beings who have a will and a soul is to continue their own existence. To stretch beyond the line of possibility. To be more than they think they can be.  
Frivolous imaginative ideals. Like so many other things which they want but cannot have. Instead, they live, they breed, they die. And often they die in ways which are not peaceful and are not expected.  
And in every existence of life, there are several base expectations for how death will come.  
Food is needed for life. But drought and limited resources prevent food from always being supplied.  
When there is a lack of food, two things happen, which lead to more death.  
There is sickness, which comes when life is weak. It robs the breath and blinds the senses.  
There is battle. In the endless struggle to _live_ and live better than all those around you.  
And each aspect is a stream, which feed into and cross over one another until it reaches the end.  
This end is always death.  
From the beginning of the stream, the oldest point, there is Chaos. It is both the start of a turbulent afternote, and it is foremost one thing. It is a start.  
Then come the next, all weaving in and out of each other until no one remembers what the beginning was or what was the end. Famine, War, and Pestilence.  
It all ends at the last. The last of everything. Death. Or one could say Death is just the gateway into Chaos and everything repeats. That the stream is less a stream, but a loop of water, turning in on itself so much that everyone forgets the beginning.  
But, imagine, for a second, what would happen if you removed the gate?  
Which of the middle “siblings” would cease to be needed after Death was gone? It would take a little time for the water to understand what was happening.  
Chaos passes into the three middle possibilities into Death into Chaos again and over and over.  
Illness would go first. Why pay attention to sickness? It is just something which will pass. Easily forgotten.  
Famine would remain for a time yet. There is a struggle to adjust, a struggle to understand food is no longer something needed as a necessity.  
No, War would disappear after Hunger. If I fight my neighbor, but my neighbor simply come back again and again, there is no longer war. War is something hot, full of tension, full of breath catching and taken and drama. Without it, without the blood and the necessary ends, fights bring nothing. They are … let go.  
I cannot die. But I can be stripped of all I am.  
So, I watch ShadowClan let Redwhisker disappear into the ferns, chasing him away in the full knowledge he will be back. Blackstar is worn, the herb stores are gone. Cats breath out, as if some weight has been pulled away.  
And I fade just a bit more.  
The last dissenter. The last set of outcasts. I am useless in this place.  
My essence turns away, as thin as paper and so _angry_. This is no surrender. This is no winning or losing or great stories or songs. Nothing will rise out of this. If it continues, there will not even be memories.  
I don’t make it far. I stumble. I have never stumbled before. I have never been slow enough to stumble. My name can be spoken on the wind. A cry to the stars above to spur movement onward. But there was nothing left of me to move anymore.  
I disappeared.  
I don’t know how long.  
Or whether I would beat my brother, Illfur, there or not.


	2. Brackenfur

Till now, I always thought that death happened to other cats. I’d lost friends and clanmates I’d cared about but I hadn’t thought I’d ever loose Sorreltail. The idea hadn’t crossed my mind. It had been a naivety or living in the moment which I couldn’t quite shake. Even this time together after death should have taken her away wasn’t as sweet as I thought it should have been. There was the haunting feeling of wrongness and the passing days didn’t make the feeling go away. How I could still sleep next to Sorreltail and play with our kits without it nagging at my brain throughout the day I wasn’t sure.  
Days pasts. After the reappearance of Longtail and the strange figure of Bane the whole clan was on edge. It was fairly clear we were expecting something. There was never enough time to feel put into a false sense of security. Instead we were left tense and bristling, waiting for the next unknown cat to walk through the entrance. There was speculation, of course … but no one liked it. As usual, I kept close to my mate and shot angry looks at anyone who tried to ostracize her. I wanted to talk to Bane again, but whenever I saw him, he was always close to others. Often it was Dovewing, who seemed to be uneasy but would reject any attention from clanmates trying to intervene with her interactions with him. I watched, trying to find an opening, but one never came. Flustered at my latest attempt that day I licked down a tuft of ruffled fur, not really looking around. It was Mousewhisker who sent out the alert. My ears swiveled in the direction of the entrance, puzzled about the exclamation. The puzzlement was more so how Mousewhisker had secured guard duty when he was still … well … I wasn’t exactly comfortable around an ex-Dark Forest trainee any more than a lot of the rest of the clan. But there was still the alert he’d called, and I still shifted enough to glance in the direction of the entrance. There was a brief bit of dissonance from whoever else was just out of view. Then Mousewhisker’s loud exclamation a second time of, “Hey! You can’t go in the-” But apparently this cat didn’t care and flounced into ThunderClan camp like he was perfectly familiar with it.  
It’d expected to see some past clanmate, maybe even one I’d only truly been familiar with from elders’ tales, but instead it was a cat completely alien to me and apparently everyone else. This was proven further when Ivypool hissed and tackled him, her needle claws digging into his chest. Pelts bristled all around and I tensed, waiting for the cat to fight back. Instead he seemed puzzled, eyes crossing to try and focus on Ivypool’s paw on his neck.  
His pelt was a rather unimpressive grey with no other markings on it apart from a smattering of what I could only describe as smudges over his coat. Whether this was dirt or just part of his pelt I wasn’t sure from this distance.   
The tom choked out, “Agh – heeello. Nice to meet you too. Where’s Bane?” His eyes – green or yellow I wasn’t sure – remained crossed. Ivypool, instead of calming down, just gained a better dose of fluffed up fur. “Who wants to know?” she snarled.  
The tom’s ears flicked, folding back against his head for a second before shifting again. “Er … S-senkis.” Ivypool’s eyes narrowed and the tom, apparently for want of something to say, repeated, “Senkis?” Though this time he sounded a bit doubtful about this.  
“What are you doing here?” exclaimed Bane, his low-pitched voice catching more than just my attention. He’d stepped out into the opening, white tipped tail twitching in what either was annoyance or nervousness. Senkis perked up, despite the fact Ivypool still had him pinned. “Brother! Argh! Watch the claws!” He squirmed a bit when faced with Ivypool’s glare.  
“Let him up,” said Bane, sounding hesitant but also exasperated. I watched the hesitation play out in Ivypool’s gaze, but she finally backed off, stepping away from Senkis.   
Which just left plenty of room for Bane to attack him instead.


	3. Blossomfall

Everyone watching, in the fashion that the center of camp had often become a specially like this, bristled. I wanted to rush forward, though I had no idea who I would have been helping. Bane had been here longer, but that didn’t mean anything. He was a rogue!  
He was also … a horrible fighter. As I watched him wrestle with Senkis I thought there might be some serious need to worry about one or the other. But as I watched it just turned out that neither of them had proper battle training. They fought clumsily, hardly wounding each other. A scratch across Bane’s ear was by accident and a limb Senkis now had was his own fault for landing badly after pushing Bane off him. Both were also getting hurt only a little but each of them seemed to feel like it was a horrible wound instead of a scratch or a bruise.  
“What in the Dark Forest!” hissed Senkis, grey fur fluffed up around his shoulders.   
“Exactly my sentiment,” hissed Bane. “What do you think you were doing, playing StarClan? You weren’t helping anything! No one had to know!”  
“You want to do that here? Now?” Senkis’ eyes roved around the cats, meeting eyes with an almost wildly bright look. “Seems like going against your own words, but what do I care?”  
He pranced around; twisted paw being nursed far more than I would have let it. I hadn’t moved forward before, but I did now, pressing myself between Bane and Senkis. Bane had just taken a chance and was charging Senkis. But instead he comically floundered and ran into my flank. His surprised deep blue eyes looked up at me as he became a tangled mess, but I stood my ground. I couldn’t help thinking of him as a hapless kit. Senkis too, though he seemed to have a problem with pride.  
“Are we done?” I hissed, looking between the two brothers. “I don’t know what’s gotten into Bane … but both of you chill. Before you hurt yourselves by falling over too hard.”  
Senkis looked affronted and licked at his shoulder. Bane’s tail tip was flicking madly.  
Dovewing also hurried over, casting a look in Bane’s direction that I couldn’t place. I was still bristling, and I shook out my own fur so I was calmer. “What is going on?” I asked.   
Bane’s ear flicked and he looked away. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. This is my brother … Senkis.” Clearly another cat who had returned from the dead … I backed up; now that the fighting was over, I didn’t want to deal with the whys. Maybe I should have been curious, but I really wasn’t right now. Looking around at the others I saw Jayfeather with his blind eyes focused at Senkis like he was a ghost or some sort of illusion.  
No … I wasn’t slightly curious.


	4. Jayfeather

Narrowing my eyes, I turned away from the center of attention. The voice of ‘Senkis’ was unmistakable. It was the same cat who had given me the ‘prophesy’. There was something up and I knew I probably wasn’t the only one who had noticed how oddly Dovewing was being.   
I positioned myself away from the crowd, listening from a distance and making sure Dovewing didn’t move off with Bane. I pushed and pulled the prophecy around my head, completely unsure how to deal with it. I’d thought before that the pieces were almost fitting together, but now they had all fallen apart again.  
It took a lot longer than I would have liked for Senkis and Bane to be separated from Dovewing. Only then did I approach my friend, but with hesitant pawsteps. I hadn’t prepared for any sort of conversation. I just knew I had to talk to the she-cat. My paws grew a bit heavy as I cut her off, not even sure where she was going. All I’d known was that if I didn’t talk to her while everything was like this than I never world. Letting the secrets fester would only cause impossible problems in the future.   
“Dovewing,” I stated flatly. I could almost feel her flinch away from me, like she suspected every single question which was budding on my lips. It made me freeze up with hesitation, but I swallowed it down. Now was not the time.  
“What is going on?” I questioned. “And who are those two?”  
Dovewing’s paws shifted over the ground, the sound loud in my ears. I couldn’t touch her mind, couldn’t see through her eyes or judge her emotions. It was like there was a new barrier between myself and the world around me, cutting me off.  
It wasn’t a good feeling. It made the fur along my spin prickle. Maybe Dovewing noticed the slight rise of it because I could hear the small sigh that came next.  
“I … I don’t think I can say. Y-you’ll have to ask Bane yourself.”  
I felt the fur on my spin rise a little more. Hazeltail had said Bane was … odd. But I hadn’t had time to talk to him while I had treated her whitecough. I’d planned to thank Bane for catching the cough in time, but now the thanks shriveled in my mind. “Does he have something to do with the prophesy?” I questioned, surprised with how level my voice was.  
Dovewing said nothing as she spun, cutting my questions off and walking back into the larger collection of cats. I opened his mouth, planning to call after her, but the words died just as easily on my lips.  
Those words were the only thing dying these days …


	5. Brairlight

Even though I could hear the chatter outside the den from where I was sitting, I couldn’t see much. It was beyond annoying and I pushed myself up a little more to try to see over my clanmates’ heads.  
“Need me to go out there and tell the bunch of mousebrains to move?” said Hazeltail from behind me. I nearly jumped. Her voice had gotten a lot better. It wasn’t even scratchy anymore and she looked well – apart from being a bit tired. I glanced back at her, ears swiveling. She probably needed more sun too. Her eyes were squinting against the pale light that was filtering through the entrance. She’d been recovering for several days and I was glad to see such quick progress.  
“No, it’s fine,” I assured. Hazeltail came to sit next to me, peering through the huddle of warriors. “What’s going on anyway?” she asked. Her voice contained a bit of bitterness. It was, they both knew, not going to be about naming a new warrior or apprentice.  
“There’s another cat,” I said. “Who came here. He knows Bane. That was all I saw before this lot got in the way.” I nodded at the warriors near the den entrance. Hazeltail huffed with amusement. She’d noticed that Icecloud had heard and then had guiltily shuffled to the side. It didn’t help the view much, but I noticed Hazeltail’s eyes widen a bit.  
“What is it?” I asked.   
Hazeltail took a second to answer. “They were fighting …” Her voice was just a little confused. I wonder if my expression was as open as if felt, because when she looked at me, she looked a bit embarrassed. “I just thought … that the grey spotted tom looked familiar.”  
I frowned. “He’d a rogue. Do you think you might have seen him when you were patrolling? Or before, when you lived in the barn?” The barn wasn’t mentioned much. I sometimes wondered if no one brought it up because it was something kittypet. Like mentioning it might cause the kits to be tempted to live there. But Hazeltail didn’t seem offended, she just considered.  
“Maybe … I’m not really sure.”  
“Do you want to ask him?” I asked, almost playfully. Hazeltail looked nervous just thinking about that option. “No … I think I’m good, Briarlight.”  
I allowed a purr of amusement into my chest, where it rumbled. I looked back at the camp, where cats were very slowly starting to clear out. Something told me that Senkis was going to be staying here as well. Something wasn’t adding up and I think I wasn’t the only one who thought they had something to do with the prophesy. Their timing in coming here was too handily placed.  
Senkis came into view again and Hazeltail stiffened a bit next to me. Senkis turned, perhaps by random chance, and looked back in our direction.  
Or perhaps not random chance. When he saw Hazeltail, one eye closed in a wink.


	6. Dovewing

The next day leaked into the previous one, bleeding into it with a steady, resolved fashion that I hated. I felt like everyone was watching me. Being one of the Three was hard enough. After the battle I’d been surprised that I wasn’t more of a focus. But bigger things were there to worry about directly after the battle. Now I couldn’t help thinking that I should somehow know how to solve all this.  
But … Death. There was a Death. Not as an action or a thing, but a speaking, living cat. It was mind blowing and I looked around at everyone wondering how they didn’t see it. After Senkis turned up, suddenly there was Bane by my side again. The first thing he said to me after I’d left Jayfeather was a whisper in my ear. Which was beyond creepy, particularly considering what he was, and I flinched back.  
“Senkis isn’t his name,” he’d whispered.   
My expression was of complete confusion. Senkis’ and Bane’s actions had already caused me to assume something was off. But who could be the brother to Death?  
“What is his name then?” I finally asked.   
We were away from the center of camp, under an overhang of shrubbery and I hoped out of Jayfeather’s range of attention and hearing.  
“His name would,” said Bane after a second of thinking. “Probably best be described as Illfur. He is illness.” My whiskers twitched as I looked around at the camp. Senkis was talking to Bramblestar, head held high. Part of me worried that Bramblestar would find out what he was. Part of me worried he wouldn’t.   
“What does that mean?” I asked.  
Bane’s ears twitched and started to open his mouth, looking confused. I corrected myself, already having had this experience. “What does that mean for the clans that he’s here now?”  
Bane shut his mouth, thought, and then started again, “It means the same thing as that I’m here. No cat will get sick. We’re stuck as cats instead of concepts.”  
I … didn’t get that at all. He’d explained. As best as Bane ever explained anything. He tried. But there seem to be some things about questions he hadn’t really grasped yet. I had to ask a lot before I’d even felt I had gotten part of what was happening.  
“And this is happening because a cat – Rock – died. And that shouldn’t be possible. So, because of that you and all these … concepts … are turning up.”  
Bane seemed to think these were questions instead of statement which I wanted him to expand on. All he said was, “Yes.”  
I sighed in frustration, looking back out at the cats. “So … how do we get you back to being a concept?”  
This seemed to surprise Bane. It surprised me too … I hadn’t expected that this was something I wanted.  
“I’m impressed,” he said after a second. “I didn’t think you would want the things which harm your clan to exist again.”  
I didn’t say anything to do that. My insides were still squirming as I tried to justify why I wanted things to be normal again. My whole life was abnormal. Why wouldn’t I be alright with this change?  
Because there was something wrong. And even if what was wrong was _good_ emotionally … that didn’t mean it was good in other ways.  
I was about to say that to Bane but then with my luck, that was when Jayfeather ran over.  
His tabby head poked around the den first and he seemed to meet my slightly wide eyes before he continued around the corner. The fur along my spin prickled a bit and I glanced over at Bane to see if there would be any reaction. But he seemed just as placid as ever. It too was almost something which creeped me out. I tried not to pay attention.  
“Hello,” said Jayfeather, tilting his head in Bane’s direction.  
“Greetings, Jayfeather,” said the tom. He didn’t seem to be waiting for something, not like how I was.  
It didn’t take long for Jayfeather to follow my expectations. “Bane … what is going on?” His eyes narrowed and I tamped down the temptation to squirm. He wasn’t even talking to me.  
“I’m not sure I know exactly what you are talking about,” said Bane, completely serious. Jayfeather didn’t seem to recognize that, however, and his tail flicked in repressed anger. “Your ‘brother’ is the cat who spoke of the end of the world and how the dead were returning back to life. I’ve met him. Now explain why he is here.”  
Bane blinked. His blue eyes, I noticed, were even deeper than Jayfeather’s. They weren’t right. I glanced over at his speckled brother, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes. I wasn’t sure, but they might have been green. But they were paler than I expected, from this distance almost white. Even though they were mortal cats they still had aspects of themselves which set them apart.  
“He is a Bane,” said Bane, whiskers twitching. I glanced back over, blinking. Bane hadn’t mentioned that before.  
“I’m sorry?” asked Jayfeather.  
“A Bane,” said the black tom.  
“Explain what that means,” Dovewing prompted.  
“They are … concepts of an occurrence, but there is enough understanding of them within the clans that they have a form,” said Bane. “Banes are the cause of harm, ruin, or death. We are Banes.”  
I somehow got that was why he’d named himself that. He just hadn’t thought of anything else. I either wanted to laugh or shiver.  
“He’s saying he’s Death, Jayfeather,” I said quietly.  
And that’s when we were interrupted. There was no peace, not even for a quiet moment.


	7. Honeyfern

Coming back from the dead was like being semi-aware, in a dream-state, just for a little and then suddenly everything is pain and stretching into small spaces and when I was able to think again, I was …  
There are always borders. StarClan has them, though they protected us from the Dark Forest instead of from our fellow warriors. There are borders in the clans as well, but I didn’t appear on the constantly changing and useless ones which rest between each clan. Instead, I appeared on the border the lake clans could never change.  
My feet were wet, and I nearly fell face first into the lapping, rippling vision of my own reflection. The cold slowly started seeping into my paws and I stepped away from the water without thinking. I stumbled, looking around, trying to find the stardust. But there was none.   
Water. It is a border against many things. The land and the fish, the sun and the sea. It is what brings us into the world, and it is what keeps us alive when we live in it.  
Fitting. But I couldn’t appreciate it.  
I stumbled home. It was the only home I had ever know. It took a long time for me to focus, trying to remember StarClan like it had been more than a dream. But thinking about it made it harder, so I focused on my pawsteps.  
Stumbling into camp disturbed the guard there, but I hardly noticed. I looked around at clanmates I had grown up with … and grown kits that I had not. My breath caught in my throat and I looked around at all the faces which were impossible, and they looked at me the same way. But when the single look of surprise had removed itself from their faces, they all looked away, not meeting my eyes. Any optimism I’d had evaporated. My gaze spun around, looking for any friendly face … and found it in a face I didn’t even recognize.  
His pelt was a collection of speckles across a grey pelt, his eyes pale green. He took a step forward, moving away from Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. Both of who, I noticed, looked over me with wariness.   
“Hello,” he greeted. “My name is Senkis. I believe we met once, perhaps in a dream.” His whiskers twitched with a joke I didn’t get, and I shifted my paws, hesitation rolling in me. I didn’t remember any Senkis in StarClan, though there were a couple who didn’t have warrior names. But Senkis shook his head, correcting himself. “I joke. Who might you be? It seems like I might be remaining here a little and I wouldn’t want to make you feel unwelcome on your return.” Part of me was feeling like this cat was bad news. A lot more than part, really. I shifted again, then shook my head. It was with swift paw steps that I moved away, though I didn’t know where I was stumbling too. I looked back only once, noticing Senkis had an odd expression.  
I wasn’t sure if he was happy or very, very sad.


	8. Lionblaze

A day passed and clan life continued as best it could. There were patrols, though there was hardly any need at this point. What were borders when things were like this? However, Squirrelflight’s logic was that border patrols were the only thing keeping the clans from being islands. They needed to have information from the other clans, or they would be doomed.  
I couldn’t fault her logic. The idea of going back to ShadowClan’s borders after what had happened hardly a pawful of sunrises before didn’t make me feel too good about the situation. The fact that some of those who’d been dead were coming along made me feel even more on edge.  
The patrol included Foxleap, Icecloud, and Whitewing. At least I was confident I was going to be the only one who treated Foxleap too oddly. Icecloud was his sister after all. Whitewing was also a lot better than me at understanding others.  
The trip along the edge of the lake and looping around to the Greenleaf Twolegplace was something which should have passed in a blur. I could feel my thoughts drifting. It was near the end of the journey when I found myself faced with the lake surging. My tail went up, halting Whitewing and the other younger warriors on their journey. Every cat in the group froze, looking at the rippling part of the lake with the same freaked out expression that I had.  
The lake spat out a cat. It was one of the few ways that I could describe it. The rippling stopped, then suddenly there was a great surge and the water pushed outward, a cat stumbling, slightly dripping, onto the bank of small pebbles and sand.  
It took me a second to get over the ‘how’ and move onto the ‘who’. Then while the cats around me seemed to relax just a little I stiffened up even more.   
Russetfur.  
I hadn’t recognized her at first. Instead I had mistaken her for the … the phantom within my own imagination. But then she looked over at me and her eyes weren’t the same dripping red of blood. Her paws weren’t matted with it. Instead she was just that … russet.   
And her eyes met mine and I tried not to feel like I should run.  
Then she looked away.   
She shook out her paws absentmindedly and Foxleap was the one that hesitantly stepped forward to stand next to me. I knew that this must be a lot more personal to him, maybe even positive, than it was for me. At least my shock kept my paws grounded instead of flinching away from the ‘oddity’ who stood so close.  
Russetfur looked back, maybe not very sure why the four cats were still there, and then turned and started walking toward the pine trees.  
“Wait!” I said, not sure what had possessed my tongue to actually say such a thing. Russetfur paused, looking back at me. She didn’t say anything and instead waited to see what I would say. The pressure on my spine intensified a little.  
“We …” I said. “We need to take you back to ShadowClan.” I didn’t know why I said that either. I wanted to know she got back there – she looked dazed right now, maybe unable to quickly find it. Her gaze, however, sharpened a little at my suggestion.  
She turned away again. “Fine.” And that was all she said, leaving me to follow after her, bringing my patrol along. Icecloud looked nervous, but she didn’t protest.  
**  
It took a little to get there, but even if Russetfur stumbled I found myself waiting for her to pick herself up again. I couldn’t even touch her too help her along. It just felt wrong. It felt wrong after something like her ghost had been haunting me as of late. But she didn’t seem to notice my lapse in chivalry. Instead, she would proceed into the pines and it was only with my hesitant yet careful directions that she steered herself in the correct direction.   
ShadowClan scent grew stronger until I could look up and see the tight knit walls of the camp. Someone came out, probably hearing the noise we were making. Their eyes widened and I didn’t blame the cat as they darted back into the camp to relay what was happening. When we all carefully walked through the entrance, ever bone in me stiff with tension, we found ourselves surrounded by cats. Some of which didn’t look as tired as the others had when I’d been here last and some cats who I only partly recognized. I was once again aware that maybe it was just my clan who had become so wary of the cats returned from the dead. I also noticed something else … No fighting. Redwillow was gone.  
Part of me which I didn’t understand why shivered with an unknown cold.


	9. Firestar

I had been, to some extent, consulted with whether Senkis should stay within the clans. I had dismissed the attempt, since Bramble_star_ was just as capable of making a decision as I was. However, I thought it was very possible my presence had an effect either way. Because of this, I thought Senkis was allowed almost free reign where Bane originally hadn’t. Not only was ThunderClan in a tough place I also thought that I might be to blame.  
But I couldn’t think how I could solve any of the problems. I felt much more like a watcher than anyone who could really assist the clan any longer. My nose twitched, tail flicking. Mousefur had attempted to get me to eat recently, but I had once again refused. Every other day one of the current residents of the Elder’s den convinced me to have something, but the freshkill pile was always very low. Hunting patrols weren’t being sent out often enough, everyone sticking to the camp and gossiping at best. I’d noticed, feeling my fur rise, as the days past that cats had started being split into different groups within the clans.  
_You’re over thinking,_ I thought. But it still felt like at any moment ThunderClan might split into rogues and loners, attacking each other or running away simply because of the tension in the air.  
I could understand why Bramblestar allowed Bane and Senkis to stay. It wasn’t very difficult to see, if you payed attention, that at least some of my grandchildren would interact with them a noticeable amount. Them having something to do with the prophesy was very, very likely. I had never talked to them either. The prophesies I had been familiar with were always ones which involved clanmates that I had known. It seemed particularly odd that not only had these two very likely been sent by StarClan, but they only seemed to interact with cats in small amounts.  
Senkis had been in the clan for two days now and had done absolutely nothing other than hang around the medicine cat den. It was interesting and while Leafpool didn’t seem to mind Jayfeather made every attempt to remove him if the blind cat found him near the entrance.  
I’d seen Briarlight talk to him as well and Hazeltail watching from the entrance where she probably assumed she couldn’t be seen. Apparently, he knew a thing or two about herbs, but Jayfeather refused him anywhere near him or his store.  
I was watching from the Elder’s den entrance when he got thrown out again. He sauntered out; tail held high while Jayfeather yelled after him. Senkis didn’t notice me watching, but he did notice Bane, who was washing his fur near the Apprentices’ den. A kit had been sitting near him but hurried off when they saw Senkis’ approach.  
Senkis padded over, tail tip flicking, and then said something to Bane that I couldn’t hear. Bane looked up, looked around, and then stood. He shook out his fur and then flicked an ear in the direction of the forest. Senkis bounded off in that direction while Bane remained where he was for a couple seconds more. Then he got up and slowly walked in the same direction.  
I stood, slowly padding after them as well. I remembered my grandkits doing that as well, long ago. Or it seemed like long ago after everything had happened. I passed Berrynose on guard, who looked like he was about to follow the two rogues.  
“Leave it,” I said as I passed. I thought he might argue, but I didn’t give him time to as followed Bane’s scent trail. They were bad at disguising it and I easily found them not to far from camp. I paused, surprising myself by listening instead of confronting their secret meeting. A feeling from when I was a warrior, perhaps.  
“What is it, Illfur?” inquired Bane with a sigh. “I don’t see how there’s anything to talk about.”  
“Of course there is,” said Senkis – Illfur, rolling his eyes. “Dear ol’ sis is coming around soon if the patrol from yesterday is correct. Which means we are running out of time. Thinbone needs to have sponsored a cat and we need to find them before the clans start noticing one of the more important fact of Leaf-Bare isn’t a concern. We need one of them with powers. If we just have the one, then all this can stop. But if the clans completely lose their connection to us than that’s it. The world might as well have ended, and we won’t even be there to watch it go down. We’ll be stuck – immortal on mortal ground. Have you noticed _anything_? Any sign of who Thinbone is working through?”  
Bane’s shoulders hunched. “If I’d known I’d have already approached them.”  
Senkis signed. “Of course you would have. Death has no subtlety. It’s always in your face, screaming. Look … if you find them, then talk to _me_ first. Then we can actually come up with a plan. Hopefully before our impulsive sister gets in the way.” His tail flicked. “We need to head back before our patrons notice our absence. I doubt it’s a good idea to tell them that solving their dead returning to life problem is the least of their worries. Or telling them that fixing this will send those who returned all back to being dead …” He lapsed into mutters. But Bane wasn’t looking at him. He’d glanced over at the bush that I was crouched behind. He didn’t look for long, but for a second our eyes met.  
“Yes,” Bane agreed. “Best to return to the camp.”  
I waited a lot longer for them to return to camp before I followed. Berrynose’s jaw was tight, like he wanted to ask a question, but he didn’t and I didn’t give any answers.  
When I reentered camp, I noticed that Senkis was back to haunting the front of the medicine cat den and that Bane was talking to Foxleap. As I was walking back to the Elder’s den, Hollyleaf came cutting in front of my, one of Sorreltail’s kits clasped in her jaws. She set them down in front of the Nursery, poking her head in. “Did you lose someone?” she asked. The kit meowed in protest. “I wanted to follow Bane!” Hollyleaf bopped their nose. “Shh. If I find you out of camp again, I’ll leave you to the foxes.”  
“I was hiding though! How’d you find me?”  
I walked back into the Elder’s den, sighing. Aaaaaand there was Ferncloud, asking, “Want to share this bird with me Firestar? It’s a bit too much.”  
I tried not to sigh again.  
“Sure Ferncloud!”


	10. Ivypool

Hissing, I spun around, stalking out of camp ahead of the rest of the patrol. I already had a pretty large reputation for being a fighter and competent strategist, but lately I’d gained another. Moody. Could you blame me? Dovewing nearly went running after me, but instead all I got was an exasperated sigh. “Bane!” called Dovewing. “Come on!”  
I wasn’t sure if I liked Bane, but I didn’t want him on a patrol with me whatever I thought. Why Dovewing insisted on dragging him along I didn’t know. He wasn’t a member of ThunderClan, and I didn’t want him around.  
At least it wasn’t a border patrol. That was my only consolation.  
The forest had grown cold in the several days since Senkis had turned up. Honeyfern had retreated to the Elder’s den as well, but it was becoming far too crowded. I had no doubt it would continue to be a problem. Bane just added to it. It seemed like Bramblestar actually suspected he was part of a prophecy. While I wanted to believe it was that easy, I couldn’t help thinking that this wasn’t a straightforward prophecy … or one we might want to fulfill.   
Bane trotted along after both of us, Dovewing silent at my heals. I picked my way through the forest, feeling the bite of the cold at my pelt. Bane, however, foiled my attempts to avoid him by bounding up alongside me. “I’ve talked to Dovewing,” he said.  
“Whoopty-do,” I muttered. Bane’s whiskers twitched, possibly with confusion, but I ignored him.  
“Have I offended you?” he questioned, changing from his original line of questioning.  
“No,” I said with a sigh. “I just don’t see why you being on a patrol will be particularly helpful.”  
“It won’t be,” promised Bane. “But I can hunt if that is any assurance.”  
Now it was my turn for my whiskers to twitch. “Then how come you won’t be helpful.”  
“The food is running out.”  
My pelt prickled. “It’s Leaf-bare. The food is just scarce.”  
Bane said nothing, looking around. Even from the set of his shoulder I could tell he didn’t believe me.


	11. Hazeltail

Jayfeather had clearly given up kicking Senkis out of the medicine cat den, though I wasn't exactly sure why. I wasn't aware that any situation had changed between what he could do and what he'd made very clear that Senkis could not do. As it turned out, this just made Senkis more willing to talk to me.  
After he'd arrived in camp, I hadn't found myself talking to him very often. Something about him had seemed familiar. Brairlight had been a bit insistent that I talk to him, but it was Senkis who'd approached me. He thought he was funny, would crack a joke, but wasn't very funny at all. That was okay. He was nice to talk to anyway.  
I watched as he sorted through some catmint. The stores were low, even I could see that. But it didn't stop him from rearranging it again.  
"Is there something the matter?" I asked. I hadn't noticed him paw so much at green leaves before. He'd seemed just slightly distressed as of late.  
"It's nothing," said the grey speckled tom, breaking out of whatever dream he'd been stuck in. I didn't buy it.  
I'd been in the medicine cat den for a while now and Jayfeather had thus far only gained me along with Senkis. It made it very crowded and maybe as protest he was never there, and Leafpool also seemed absent. But that meant I'd become just as familiar with the layout as Senkis. I knew where things were kept. And currently he'd just reached into an alcove and brought out a pawful of yarrow leaves and was absentmindedly mixing it into the catmint.   
"Sure," I said, my voice full of the doubt it warranted. "What exactly does catmint and yarrow cure? And you just found a lot of little red berries and I'm pretty sure those will ruin it even further."   
He had, with equal absentmindedness, brought some red berries out of an even darker alcove and been about to smash them and the yarrow leaves. He paused, eyes focusing, as he looked down at what he was doing. He colored and I could almost feel the heat of his fur against me. "That's ... not what I meant to do."   
I could almost hear the fearful lie in his voice to. I frowned. "What did you mean then?"  
Senkis rolled the berries back into the alcove, far into it where I couldn't see. "Instinct," he muttered under his breath. I doubt he meant me to hear. Then he pushed the yarrow leaves back as well.  
"What were we talking about?" he questioned me, looking over again.  
“We weren’t talking about anything yet,” I said. “I just got here.” He seemed awkward. “Yes. Sorry.”  
“How about I ask you something?” I said. “You always ask me questions. Or talk about medicine or what you did since you got to the clans. You do have some history other than that, don’t you?”  
Senkis looked at me sharply and I wondered if I’d crossed a line. But he relaxed a second later and sighed. “Maybe later …”


	12. Birchfall

I was on guard duty and my ‘clanmates’ kept coming up to check that I was still there and not, for example, leading the Dark Forest into the heart of the camp. I hadn’t, of course, so I wasn’t very pleased when Dustpelt once again looked out on me and I was almost ready to claw his ears.  
However, soon enough, a strange scent did reach me. Almost familiar, but not a clan cat. My fur bristled and I opened my mouth to cry an alert …  
And then a set of claws and teeth met me.  
I didn’t need to cry out, since the cat who was attacking me did it for me. She shrieked, almost with glee, as I rolled away, claws unsheathed and attacking her with a fury. She was skilled, very skilled. Far more than I was, and I had, according to all the fears of my clanmates, trained by the Dark Forest.  
She was good, really good. Goods enough that it took me a long time to realize she didn’t even have her claws unsheathed. By that time, she’d already pulled away as the first warrior ran out of the entrance. She laughed as they attacked her too, dodging and weaving around any cat that attacked her and by this time another had joined the fray. Even though she was outnumbered, she wasn’t outclassed. She used moved I’d never seen before and seemed faster and stronger than other warriors or what seemed possible for her russet-furred build. But like with me, her movement might have been sharp, and she would shake off cats roughly, but her claws remained sheathed. I was so caught up with this that I hardly noticed when a black furred tom and a grey speckled tom exited the camp. It was only then I heard a sharp, “Sister!” from Bane. The russet she-cat pulled away from Dustpelt and shook out her fur. She didn’t have a scratch on her. “Dear brother,” she purred, almost sarcastically. Senkis rolled his eyes.  
My clanmates stood, on the cusp of attacking the she-cat again, but Bane flicked his eyes and his deep blue eyes looked over all of them. Several forced their fur flat, me included.  
“She didn’t harm any of you,” Senkis noted to some of those still kneading the ground.   
“Of course not,” scoffed the she-cat. “It was just a little fun.” She looked around; her eyes bright. They were a dark amber, as close as eyes could get to be red. “Come in,” said Bane with a sign, turning to lead the she-cat back into the camp.  
“Wait!” I protested. “She can’t go in there.”  
The she-cat looked back at me, seeming amused. “Ignorance is no excuse for not seeing importance.” Whether this meant something or not it confused me enough to let her past. I followed her after a heartbeat but was greeted with a bristling Lionblaze. He was looking at the she-cat like she was a ghost. Maybe that wasn’t too impossible considering the current situation. The she-cat blatantly looked at Lionblaze back, her head held high. “Hello, Lionblaze. What? Never saw War before?”  
Lionblaze’s fur bristled and his back arched. But the she-cat turned away, apparently focusing on her brothers. “Has there been any progress, So –”  
“Bane,” cut in Bane.  
“I was intending to say sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” said the she-cat without pause. “And calling me sister sounds stuffy. Use my clan name.”  
She looked back at Lionblaze, oblivious to his distress. “Bloodclaw, by the way. My name."


	13. Dovewing

Bloodclaw, as she called herself, was probably the worst Bane in my opinion. She walked around like she owned the place and had no problem with speaking what was on her mind. Bane seemed to talk to cat to cat, Senkis kept getting thrown out of the medicine cat den. I had almost expected Bloodclaw to hang with the strongest warriors. She did seem to follow Lionblaze and Lionblaze did seem to know what she was without being told. I was just surprised he hadn’t said anything to anyone yet. Bloodclaw didn’t talk to him, however. She actually seemed to talk with the apprentices and mentors more, which surprised me.  
However, though it was clear that Bloodclaw had odd … habits, Bane and Senkis seemed to keep an unusually careful eye on her. Whenever she was around, one of the two brothers weren’t far behind. So it also surprised me when I noticed Bloodclaw heading for Bramblestar’s den (as it did seem to be his den, by Firestar’s insisting) without a black or grey speckled shadow following her.   
Just because I saw no evidence of them, I followed the she-cat, worry prickling through my pelt. I knew who and what she was – or had been – but I hadn’t thought she would …  
And that was my head, spiraling out into infinite possibilities. I remembered the stories from the nursery, of Tigerstar and when he was Bluestar’s deputy, going to her den to kill her. My imagination ran wild, so when I hurriedly stuck my head into Bramblestar’s den, not to far behind, I was surprised to catch the fractured sentence of, “-Think it’s best that there be a Gathering. Fun things always seem to happen there. You four always get so … interesting. But as things are going, you do not know what’s going on.” Bloodclaw completely ignored me, even as Bramblestar’s eyes narrowed in my direction.  
“Yes, Dovewing?” he asked. My ears tilted back. “N-nothing, Bramblestar,” I said. It was only then that Bloodclaw looked back at me. “And I think she should go. But it’s up to you, ThunderClan leader. It was just an idea.” And she stood, brushing past me without really looking at me at all.  
I looked at Bramblestar, ears still back and embarrassed. The leader almost looked amused at my distress. “She’s right, Dovewing. There needs to be a Gathering. I’ll make an announcement and send out patrols to inform the other clans.”


	14. Birchfall

It was the evening and Bramblestar had informed the clan that there would be a gathering. I was shocked, however, about the cats who were chosen. I’d expected Firestar to go, for example, but even though I thought Bramblestar must have asked I didn’t see him. But on top of that, there were only a small number of cats who had returned from the dead in the small group he selected. It would have thought that the point of this gathering would have focused a bit more on them, but it seemed like it wasn’t. Sorreltail wasn’t going and I didn’t particularly want to leave her, but I also had a feeling we’d want to know what happened at the gathering and we would only know if one of us went. The other cats who went along were Berrynose, Honeyfern, Hollyleaf, Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, Icecloud, Whitewing, and to my surprise, Bane and Bloodclaw. The rest of the clan remained. I wondered if we would be outnumbered in this gathering or whether the other clans would have roughly the same number of warriors.   
We left without many complaints, though I saw Berrynose’s hesitant and sharp look at Hollyleaf. I tried not to let my fur bristle and instead continued walking. It was the most silent walk to the gathering place that I’d ever experienced and I could feel everyone else’s tension rise. It was only Honeyfern who finally seemed to calm a few ruffled feathers when she carefully murmured, “We’ll figure this out.”  
Crossing the tree bridge, I could already smell the distinct stench of RiverClan. I wasn’t really surprised they had gotten here first, but I still wasn’t sure how much I wanted to talk to any of them. The moon, almost full overhead anyway, still cast enough light for everyone to see by. Which, I might add, made the reaction all the more important.  
Most heads turned, eyes meeting eyes, and I have expected there to be gasps of surprise. Clearly, there was a lot of uncomfortable faces. I was, however, just as surprised as the rest of ThunderClan to see two figures side by side under one of the trees.  
Mistystar, of course, and Leopardstar.  
Jayfeather, even though he couldn’t see, leaned toward Bane who whispered at him loud enough for me to hear, “Leopardstar. Flametail is back as well, if that makes a difference.”  
Jayfeather, too low for me to hear, asked a question. Bane’s answer, not exactly low enough for Jayfeather as it caused a scowl, was, “Hawkfrost comes back soon, if that was the question.”  
I shivered. Had we thought of that? Had Bramblestar or Firestar? Hawkfrost and Tigerstar and the other Dark Forest cats? I hoped they had. But though I was about to ask, Bramblestar moved away, heading for both RiverClan leaders where he dipped his head stiffly in greeting.  
ShadowClan and WindClan came in quick succession, flooding the gathering with cats. There weren’t a lot, ShadowClan being greater in number than most of the other clans. They also seemed to hang closer to each other while I noticed my clan and WindClan seemed fractured into clusters of cats. If I was right, then it was separating the returned from everyone else. RiverClan … RiverClan I couldn’t tell. They weren’t as close knit as ShadowClan, but they weren’t a single group either.  
“Quiet!” Blackstar yowled as he clambered up into one of the trees. He scanned each clan with narrowed eyes and waited for the other four leaders to climb. It didn’t escape me that Onestar pushed ahead of Leopardstar to climb his usual tree.  
Collected at the base of the tree were five deputies, since even Onestar seemed to see the benefits of taking Ashfoot with him. There, to the side, were Jayfeather, Littlecloud, Flametail, Kestralflight, and both RiverClan medicine cats.   
My eyes were drawn back to the leaders, but before they said anything, Bloodclaw got to her feet. “I wish to speak,” she said, a cocky grin on her face. All the leaders looked at her and I could feel the question budding on four of their lips. “Sit down,” said Bramblestar coldly, clearly surprised at the intrusion but unwilling to show it. “Now is not the time.”  
“I think it’s a perfect time,” said Bloodclaw.  
“Shut up, mousebrain,” snapped Berrynose, who’d apparently found his way next to her. I could almost feel the flashback to Hollyleaf’s announcement at a gathering seasons ago. Maybe the leaders had no desire to repeat it, so even though Bloodclaw looked like she wished to claw Berrynose’s ears off, she didn’t. She just sat down again, ears back and fur bristling.


	15. Hollyleaf

The gathering was a complete bust. I listened to a lengthy back and forth not only between the leaders but between the warriors themselves. I had, as soon as I could without notice, backed into the shrubbery at the edge of the clearing and waited. It felt like hiding, but I needed a break and I felt that I could do that without looking too bad in the eyes of my clanmates.   
Little process was made, particularly after the imitation of my own attempts to interrupt the gatherings. Bloodclaw appeared to be on the verge of clawing someone’s ear, enough so that she paced the ground below the trees, her fur bristling, as she looked from cat to cat. Several hissed at her, things escalating until Bramblestar barked, “Sit _down_.” It was almost a surprise when Bloodclaw listened. Leopardstar did RiverClan’s announcement, though it was fairly clear from most of the expressions in the crowd that they weren’t happy with this. Even Mistystar seemed a bit unnerved. Midway through the news, a faux of what a usual happened at the gathering, heated debate broke out between RiverClan and some nearby WindClan cats. I missed the origin, but when Mistystar and Onestar finally regained silence, I could at least guess it had something to do with the different treatment of the cats who had returned.  
“And what about the cats who helped the Dark Forest!” Berrynose shouted from the cluster of ThunderClan cats who apparently wanted nothing to do with the rest of us. A shout of agreement went out among WindClan. ShadowClan remained stony in their silence and RiverClan just seemed to shift with discontent.   
Bramblestar glared at Berrynose. I wondered how it must feel to have so many of your cats directly speak up about this.  
“This is a matter for the individual clans,” said Onestar without hesitation.  
“Oh?” said Leopardstar, eyes narrowing. “I noticed Breezepelt is here tonight. If I remember correctly, the mangy piece of fur tried to kill us all and not once ever raised a paw off the path he was walking.”  
Onestar bristled and I and every other cat knew he was about to protest Leopardstar’s right to speak here. He might have, if Mistystar hadn’t got in the way, meeting Leopardstar’s eyes. Then she looked at Onestar.  
“I agree that there should be a resolution. But if we cannot all agree with what it is, then there might be risks that someone will retaliate.”  
“Is that a threat?” asked Onestar, bristling.  
“It was a statement,” said Blackstar with a sigh. Up there … he looked old. Like the fighting within his own clan had put worse strain on him that anyone could predict. “There are no threats. I believe there is _worse_ things to deal with right now, however. My opinion on the matter is that those who worked for the Dark Forest be pardoned. They are expected to act like civil members of the clans, just as their clanmates. And just like their clanmates, if they fail, they will receive the same punishment.”  
ShadowClan as a whole seemed to agree with this. I was slightly surprised. ShadowClan seemed a more united front than the other clans were right now. They were together, maybe due to having a common enemy in Redwillow, where the rest of use were fractured at best.  
“Forgive and forget?” Leopardstar said, in almost a hiss. “No punishment at all?”  
Bramblestar had remained silent for the most part of this. He finally spoke up. “This is not a subject for a gathering … I am with Blackstar. There are bigger concerns. ThunderClan will treat its warriors equally.”  
Onestar gave ThunderClan a scathing glance. It wasn’t hard to see that most of them were sitting apart from each other. “I see.”  
Abruptly, he shook out his pelt, announcing, “WindClan is leaving. Gathering dismissed!”  
Then he jumped to the ground, tail held high. I snorted to myself. Leaving in a _dignified_ huff, but leaving in one nonetheless.  
\---  
When they returned to the camp, I was looking forward to my nest (wherever it may be), but was shocked to find Lionblaze pacing in front of the entrance of camp when they returned. He stopped when he heard the group of cats come back and looked up, fur on end.  
“What?” asked Icecloud.  
“I … I’m not sure how to say this,” said Lionblaze. I frowned at him, ears flicking back, and then looked over at Bramblestar. “What?” he repeated the question.  
“Someone is waiting,” Lionblaze hesitated. “It’s Ashfur.”  
I felt like the earth had fallen out from under me. Bramblestar also looked disturbed, though he tried to hide it.  
The other cats all seemed a bit uneasy, but they slowly pushed past Lionblaze. I turned away, suddenly, thinking far ahead. “I have to go,” I said. And before Lionblaze could say anything, I bolted.  
Like all those years ago.  
\--  
Running felt good on my legs. I ran toward the lake, ran without minding any thorns or sharp leaves. What was I going to do? I couldn’t actually run away. My clan needed me. But I needed to think. I needed time. Because I was sure when I got back …  
I’d talked to Ashfur in StarClan. A brief, terse exchange that had left me feeling dirty. I could hardly remember it … much like the rest of the memory from that heartbeat of time.  
It didn’t matter. I couldn’t go back now. I was sure that I knew what I would find when I went back. I could do that. My heartbeat (and yes, I had one) told me otherwise, however.  
I lifted my head after a second, thinking. My paws still beat a steady step against the ground, but I veered off. I wasn’t completely sure, but I felt like there should be something in that direction that I had missed. Slowly, I padded forward, ears back, as I skirted the edge of the lake. I looked around slowly, not really sure where I was expected to go, but knowing I had nowhere else I still didn’t see the harm in just continuing my apparently random path.  
I continued around the lake, drifting up after a while and padding along the WindClan border until I was in the territory near the moonpool. A lot of time had passed since I’d left camp, I knew, but I didn’t want to go back yet. And after I while, I wasn’t even thinking about that.  
There was a shifting in the nearby ferns and I bristled. I hadn’t been paying attention to scents and anyway, I was near WindClan. I hadn’t thought there would be anyone around this late.  
“Who’s there!” I snapped. A cat came bounding out of the shrubbery, looking surprised and strangely happy. They seemed a little out of it as well, eyes drifting and tired. “S-sorry!” he said. I looked him over and sheathed my claws slowly. “You were a StarClan cat, right?” I asked.  
It took just a little, but finally the cat nodded. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him as more than WindClan.  
“D-do you know where I’m supposed to go?” he asked. I wondered if there was a reason why the cats, other than the ones like me after the battle, seemed so confused. Then I remembered that StarClan didn’t have any borders. If you were there long enough, did you start to forget that you had to stick with them or where you needed to rest your head for the night?  
“WindClan camp,” I said. My tail flicked, back the way I’d come. “That way.” The cat looked relieved and glanced in the direction I’d indicated. “Thanks. Er … do I know you?”  
“No,” I said. “My name’s Hollyleaf.”  
“Blackclaw,” he said, bounding away. “Thanks for finding me!”  
I watched him go.


	16. Lionblaze

I was informed about the gathering in snatches. I was waiting, bated breath, for Ashfur to say something. But he hardly exchanged a few words with anyone. Instead, he retreated to the apprentice’s den. I knew I should have spoken to the tom. But I’d forgiven my mother and Squirrelflight … I could never forgive Ashfur. And if there was one thing I didn’t want to do, it was talk to him.  
I found myself, for once, approaching Bloodclaw. Or I thought about approaching her and she finished the thought, turning away from Birchfall and stalking over to me without much interest. “Finally decided to talk to me?” she drawled. I tried not to feel like I knew her. I had a feeling I did. As if seeing my thoughts like Jayfeather used to, Bloodclaw said, “That’s because you do know me.” I bristled but pushed her words away. I’d wanted to talk to her for a different reason. “You spoke out at the gathering … why?”  
Bloodclaw tilted her head, looking around out of the corners of her eyes. But Bane was the only one nearby now Birchfall had left and Bane seemed to be ignoring us.  
“Because,” said Bloodclaw silkily. “You all aren’t seeing the bigger picture. You’re on a countdown, in fact. I’m impressed you haven’t figured out your time was running out. But then again, it was Ill – Senkis, I mean, who picked out the intelligent sibling.” She looked like she’d caught a bird between her claws to play with it.  
“We,” she said. “My brothers and I, that is, are your wasted time. I am War, which you no longer have. My brothers are Sickness and Death, which you’ve also lost. We have one more brother left to join us … and then there is the other one. If Wickedheart is the only bane left, then I see no one to blame but yourself for what is coming. We were in-balance … now we are not. Deal with it.”  
She turned on her heals, even as I said, “Wait. What? Bloodclaw!”  
She looked over her shoulder. “Take it in stride, Lionblaze, that I am just the lesser of evils at the gathering. I could have done more than simply speak. I could have actually said something to get some tails _moving_.” I couldn’t catch her attention again, no matter what I said.


	17. Jayfeather

"Get out of my den!" I shouted at Senkis for what felt like the millionth time. He completely ignored me and continued to sort through _my_ herbs. I was about ready to box his ears, which I'd done before as well, but seemed to do no good. Was Sickness just bound and determined to get chased out of my den? That had to be some sort of metaphor: Sickness getting kicked out of the medicine den. Senkis yawned. "Jay-jay ... if I bugged you so much you could just say." I could almost hear the smile in his voice. It made it very tempting to follow through with boxing his ears.  
"Leave him alone, Jayfeather," protested Hazeltail. I had to wonder why she was still here too. I'd told her she could leave days ago. Then again, maybe they both just stayed here to drive me mad.   
Madder.   
"Why should I?" I snapped. "He comes in here like he's a medicine cat! He isn't! He's the furthest from it."  
Hazeltail humphed and I could almost feel her fur bristling. "He's just sorting your herbs. And I've seen you use them after he's sorted them, so don't go sounding all huffy. He's good at it."  
I was never going to admit that she was right. It made me nervous. Sickness as a cat ... a breathing, living cat, shouldn't have been good at healing. It should have gone against his nature.  
A purr rumbled in Senkis' throat. "Thank you Hazeltail." I could almost feel his eyes on me, half amused and half calm, like it was so natural for me to be prickly. I couldn't really understand how a cat like this, seemingly unconnected to my abilities to dream walk, could have given me my powers.  
"Do what you want," I finally huffed, knowing for now at least I was beat. Senkis, who I guess had seen fit to ignore me now I wasn't any use, started chatting with Hazeltail. Even I'd noticed they seemed to get along. Part of me worried for Hazeltail, particularly since her reason for being here to begin with was Senkis' fault.  
A lot of things were his fault. Death, War, Illness. I knew three of them, but I couldn't guess if there were others. I hadn't asked yet. I didn't want to.  
"Jayfeather!" I recognized the voice and turned to face the entrance of the den, ignoring the fact that my tail hit Senkis in the face. "What is it, Hollyleaf?" I asked. I'd heard from Lionblaze she'd left camp and I was almost surprised to find her back consider our current ... guest. I didn't feel up to calling him a clanmate.   
I could hear her squeezing into the den, and she smelled of nerves and worry. I took it that Ashfur hadn't made a reappearance otherwise she wouldn't be here.  
"What is it?" I asked, expecting her to mention Ashfur. Instead, she said, "I met Blackclaw at the WindClan border."  
"And?" I asked, only after I said that remembering the fact his death had been announced at a Gathering seasons ago.  
"He was wondering around, confused. He was above the WindClan border. I had to direct him back."  
"What were you doing up there?" asked Hazeltail, breaking out of her conversation with Senkis to pay attention to what Hollyleaf was saying.  
"I'm ..." started Hollyleaf, suddenly sounding hesitant. "I'm not sure. I just went there, and he was there as well. I just wanted to ask Jayfeather if he had any idea why Blackclaw could have been so confused."  
Before I got a chance to answer, it was Senkis who cut in. "Because those who return had a harder time connecting themselves back to the living world the longer they've been away from it. For you it was easy. The others will get it soon enough, they just have to remember what the living world was like." His answer was curt and he changed the subject directly after. "He was lost, you said?"  
It took a long second, but Hollyleaf finally said, "Yes. He thanked me for finding him."  
"Huuum," was all Senkis said and I hissed with annoyance as he brushed roughly past. "Sorry, Hazeltail," he said over his shoulder. "I have my brother to talk to."


	18. Honeyfern

I wasn't familiar with the rhyme in my clan anymore. I remembered faces and I knew in some vague sense the others. But they moved around me in waves, never quite the same. I'd meet eyes but they turned away. I wasn't sure what I was expected to do. Was I just supposed to act like nothing had happened?  
"Honeyfern," said a voice by my shoulder and I broke out of my thoughts. My head swiveled, turning from where I was looking out at the camp. In a fit of irony, I was sitting on the outcropping of rocks that I had died on. Someone, to my surprise, had joined me. I didn't know who _he_ was, but he was jet black apart from the white tail tip. I frowned but looked at him anyway. "Yes?" I asked. I wasn't too sure why he was there, but I didn't exactly own the sunny rocks I was sitting on.  
"You are distressed?" he questioned. My ears went back and the frown I wore deepened. I didn't see why he was asking, but after a second I nodded. I wasn't sure how to explain it. But the tom - I think his name was Bane - seemed amused. He nodded as well. I didn't know what he expected me to do, so after I was silent for a while, he said, "The clans aren't unified within themselves. I find it would be better if they were." Then he stood, dipping his head to me. "Good day, Honeyfern." I looked after him, mouth slightly open with a question I never got to ask. What had he meant by that? Who was he anyway?  
I wanted to unite my clanmates again ... of course I did. But how could I?  
I watched Bane as he approached Mousefur, listening to him talking to her, and I thought ... _Was he giving a hint?_ My eyes narrowed. He was a rogue. A cat who wasn't a member of the clans. And yet ... he walked among us without fear of fighting. He tried to get along with everyone. It was odd. But he'd been invited to a Gathering and I didn't even know how.  
_He talks to cats,_ I thought. _It makes him seem more ... living and real._  
My eyes widened a little and a small smile flickered across my face. It was worth a try ...  
\--  
I talked with the other cats who had returned from the dead first. Then I talked to the cats who had once trained with the Dark Forest. There was no agreement. No cat had to follow my suggestion, but I hoped some would. All they had to do was stop hiding, or _waiting_ to be noticed. Then I turned and started making an effort to talk to cats I wouldn't have before. Berrynose seemed uncomfortable around me for reason other than just me being alive again. So, while I had noticed him looking at other cats strangely, I didn't talk to him. Not yet at least. But I did began wishing cats good morning and asking to join hunting patrols. It wouldn't be a day, but Bane hadn't gained speaking rights in a day either, I was sure.  
It took seven sunrises before I notice some tension lightening. It was only then that I felt like approaching Bane again. He'd just finished talking to Senkis, looking in the direction of Hollyleaf like he intended to talk to her. I didn't intend to interrupt him, but I still approached him regardless.  
"Bane," I said. He looked over, dipping his head. "Honeyfern," he said. "How are you doing?"  
"Well," I said, chin held high. "I just wanted to thank you."  
There was something in Bane's eyes, a secret sort of mirth that I wondered if I was imagining. "Though I am not completely sure what you are thanking me for, I appreciate the sentiment. What will you do next?"  
I hadn't expected the question, so I looked at my feet. "I'm not completely sure. But if this continues to happen ... I'm not sure what will happen either. Do you have any ideas?"  
When I looked up again, Bane was no longer paying attention. He was paying attention to the entrance of camp and I almost expected a cat to come into the camp. But they didn't. "There will be more," Bane said, making it sound like a promise. "Some have already returned that we just haven't seen yet. Some which might not be the sort to work with you. I believe the grey one and the ginger one ... Ashfur and Firestar ... haven't been talking to the others despite your encouragement."   
I frowned. I ... I knew he was right. Why should only StarClan cats return? He was also right about Ashfur and Firestar as well. I hadn't even seen them talk to each other, though they did share words with Ferncloud. I sighed, knowing it wasn't perfect.  
"And what are you going to do?" I asked. "I couldn't look to the future anymore. I had to take the present into my paws first. What about you? Are you going to act?"  
Bane's tail flicked. "I don't exactly have the same concept of time, Honeyfern. But I do know we're running out of it." I didn't understand what he meant by that. He added after a long second, "The balance must be restored. Even if the cost is larger than I'd like." And then he stood, dismissing himself with hardly a goodbye. Bane had seemed strange before ... but now I was almost disturbed by him. His eyes had almost looked sad. Almost worried. But what could he worry about when cats could no longer die?


	19. Firestar

And I didn't talk to very many cats. Even after some started to make the attempt to talk to me. My mate was the closest I ever got to a clear conversation, but even that felt disconnected. I couldn't think of what to say and didn't know how to feel when Bane and Senkis' conversation haunted me. But I did listen. I listened as cats talked about how good Hollyleaf was getting at hunting - even comparing her to Dovewing - and I noticed a pattern. But I never addressed it. From what I could tell, suddenly Bane or Senkis were always there when she was in camp. Bloodclaw wasn't the only one they watched anymore. In fact, I don't know who wasn't being watched. This included myself. Jayfeather kept an ear on Senkis, and Senkis spent a lot of time with Hazeltail, though I doubted that had anything to do with the reason they were with everyone else. Bane watched Dovewing, who in turn seemed to watch him. Even Brackenfur seemed on edge about what was going on. But what really disturbed me was one other cat. Bloodclaw. She was good. It took me several sunrises after she'd truly settled in for me to notice her eyes on Ivypool ... and on me. And once I noticed that, I realized that not only did she watch us, but Bane and Senkis outright avoided engaging in anything that had to do with us either. It didn't involve what 'faction' we belonged to - they all spoke equally with ex-Dark Forest trainees and returned cats alike. I don't know why she watched, since I never did anything, I would consider noteworthy, but I set those thoughts aside in favor of listening to the voice in the back of my head that told me things weren't going right. Senkis and Bane's conversation in the woods, for starters. It happened to include mentions of what, I assumed, they really were. Bloodclaw I could make a guess to as well. I didn't like it. Nor did I completely trust them. But I did think that I needed to talk to Bane in particular. I was sure he'd seen me. But why hadn't he said anything?  
It took a day and into the night to find him alone. And only then did I hesitate. He was outside, heading for the entrance. I wondered both where he was going and if the guard would let him out. I assumed so, since he didn't seem to stop until just before exiting.  
"Firestar," asked Bane, standing and looking over his shoulder. I'd padded out of the Elders' den, quiet so as not to wake anyone. The black tom hardly stood out in the dark apart from his white tail tip and blue eyes. He blinked, then turned again, heading for the entrance. "Follow me ..."  
I did without comment. He'd sounded like he knew what I was going to asked. I passed Brackenfur on guard duty. He narrowed his eyes but made no comment. I was sure this night trip had made it onto some silent tally of his.  
"What is it you wanted to discuss?" asked Bane, after we were far enough away from camp not to be overheard.  
I didn't sound surprised when I said, "You're Death? The occurrence. Aren't you?" It was something I had been thinking about for a long time.  
Bane looked over his shoulder again before sitting. He said nothing for a second before asking his own question. "What was it you wanted to know, Firestar?"  
The fur on the scruff of my neck stood on end, but I pushed any trepidation I had away. "My clan ... what does the dead returning to life mean for us? For the clans?"  
Bane - or some form of a spirit of death as I knew him to be - tilted his head ever so slightly, as if considering. "For now," he said. "There is the beginnings of confusion ... of disconnect. The clans are more fractured than they have been in a long time and the enemy is yourselves. Something you can't fight. Fighting each other would actually bring about some _order_ to this universe, but you won’t do so. Even if it meant returning War to her placement in the balance of things, and it would give you more time. You are stuck. And it will tear you apart. We were never meant to be mortal, much less so many of us at the same time. Things stop working. And when things stop working ... that is when the world ends." Now the fur along my spine really was standing on end. I swallowed, unable to keep my voice from sounding raspy. Bane had just proclaimed something which was a lot bigger than anything I could think of. "The ... world. Not just the clans, but the world?"  
Bane sniffed. "The world as you understand it. Seasons will continue to change, ocean tides will rise and fall, fire will still burn, and ice still freeze. But there will be no StarClan. No Dark Forest. No afterlife. No death, no sickness, no war, and no hunger." Firestar wasn't fool enough to believe the disappearance of those things were good. Bane looked at him so intently, voice so deep and unmoving that Firestar couldn't believe there was anything cheerful in the world he predicted. But he asked the question anyway.  
"And what will be so bad about this world if we can't die?"  
Bane was quiet for a second. Then he said, "It would be under the domain of the eldest being. My older brother or my father, if such family relations can be applied. Either one would apply. As far as I can guess, this is his doing. Creating and destroying and creating something from destruction is his style. I couldn't say which it is." Bane's eyes narrowed. "Or if you'd prefer a simpler answer, you and your kith and kin would stop existing as you do now. As would I and my siblings. We would all be used as the next generation of new creations of a being higher than StarClan or the Dark Forest. If the balance is tipped any more, if all four of us – Death, War, Sickness, and Famine - are on the same plain at the same time, the world will end. Chaos will be the most powerful being once again and we all will return to nothing. Nothing at all. The world as you know it, your existence, would be based on my brother's whims."  
The black tom's tail flicked. "I believe I can predict your next question. What is to be done?"  
He stood then. "It's a strangely simple solution, or at least parts of it are. A balance must be kept within the clans. The cogs must turn, even if only in jerks and heaves. My brothers and sister are here, hardly able to touch our powers." He waved his tail around. "I could tell you when a cat will return, that is it. I am unable to see more. My brother Senkis could not enter and madden another's head even if he wanted to. My sister is unable to cause a spat between two apprentices much less more than that. Everything we are is hardly a breath of what we were before. But if the world is to remain how it is supposed to, then we must return to who we were."  
I finally asked a question, since Bane lapsed into silence. "How?"  
"Do not dissolve into chaos and mayhem," said Bane, after a second. "That is all you can do. The rest we must figure out ourselves. Is that all your questions, Firestar?" He sounded almost tired.  
I hesitated. All my questions? He hadn't even scratched the surface.  
"If you succeed ... if things are ... balanced ... what happens to the cats who returned to life?"  
Bane blinked, as if he hadn't thought of it too much. But I could see, or maybe imagined, a bit of unease in his eyes. "They returned to their respective afterlives."  
There was a small stretched of silence. Then I said, "Good."


	20. Hazeltail

"Senkis?" I asked, blinking a bit as he poked me awake. That had never happened before. It was too cold to sleep outdoors, so Jayfeather was still allowing me to stay in the medicine cat's den. It was just too crowded in the warrior’s den anymore. I wasn't too sure where Senkis slept. I'd checked in the warrior’s den once, as well as the Elder's den, but he always seemed to be awake before me.   
"What is it?" I asked, standing and shaking out my fur. I expected the sun to be up, but it wasn't. I glanced around, but Jayfeather, Leafpool, and Brairlight were deeper into the den. "Want me to wake up some of the others?"  
Senkis shook his head. "No. I just wanted to talk to you. Come with me?"  
I frowned but nodded my head. "Sure."  
I followed him out of the den, into the darkness of the camp. He seemed hesitant to exit that camp at this time, so instead he headed for a deeper corner of camp, away from the dens. It was only when I joined him in the dark that he started to speak in a low voice. "There's something I needed to tell you."  
I nodded again, then said, "I gathered. Is something wrong?"  
He seemed hesitant, then pointed out with a little chuckle that didn't hold any feeling. "A lot of things are wrong right now." I knew he was right. There was a lot off about the world, but I wasn't sure how that had anything to do what was happening now. But it seemed to have eased Senkis into what he'd wanted to say.  
"My other brother will be coming soon." My head must have tilted enough for him to understand my silent question. "Your leaders seems to have guessed we're part of the prophecy about ... all of this that's happening. Which isn't too hard to guess ... since I'm the one who made up the prophesy."  
I blinked, eyes widening. I'd known Senkis had returned from the dead along with Bane and Bloodclaw. That was the only way to think about it. How else could they be here or know what they know. But I'd never thought that Senkis was the one who'd _made_ the prophesy about what had been happening in the clan. Senkis sighed, "My other brother's coming soon, according to Bane, and if that's the case than I ... I'm probably going to have to leave soon."  
I wasn't sure what he meant. Ears folded against my head and I was sure my face showed my worry. "Why? Do you have a problem with your brother?”  
There was a thin flash of a smile from Senkis. It was cynical. "Something like that. We're going to try and stop ... all this from happening. And if that's the case than you might not see me again."  
"Why?" I almost snapped, feeling a well of distress in my chest. Did Senkis mean that he'd really stop the dead returning to life? "Why do that? What's wrong with what's happening now!" My voice did get a bit too loud. Senkis looked afraid suddenly. "Shhh. Not so loud." I didn't lower my voice because of the request but because Senkis had never looked scared like that before.  
"Why?" I mouthed. The grey speckled tom's ears laid back as well and he said, "Because I have to. If I don't go back to ... back to what I was before than a lot of bad things are going to happen - worse than death and sickness and war." Something about how he said that wasn't right. It was almost like he was telling _himself_ these words instead of what he really believed.  
Something else connected, however. Bloodclaw had said something weird, in boast and perhaps a joke. And now Senkis was talking about something else which sounded ... familiar.   
"Why do I know you?" I asked quietly. "I've never seen StarClan apart from the Great Battle. I've never seen the Dark Forest apart from that either. But you don't sound like you were from StarClan. You don't talk like it - you keep talking about war being better than whatever else ... are you ...?" Was he an old Dark Forest warrior? Maybe that would explain his name, if he came from the Place of No Stars. It almost sounded like ...  
But Senkis seemed to take the question as something other than what I meant. His tail dropped. "I am," he said. "My brother and sister too, or as close as you can get. They're Death and War." The fur along my spin prickled and I hesitated. Senkis ... Sickness? They sounded so similar. And Senkis was so ... familiar to me. Like I'd met him, in passing, at a Gathering.  
"My actual name is Illfur." It was like saying this morphed him in front of my eyes. His eyes, so pale, suddenly looked sickly. I'd always thought they were an unusual color, but now they were outright unique.  
I wasn't sure what to think about this. It explained so much. "That's why you're so good with herbs," I breathed. Senkis nodded. "That's right. I'm rather familiar with how they all work." He seemed awkward. Sickness ... as a _creature_ ... was awkward ...? It was so hard to wrap my head around. He seemed to wait to see if I was going to say anything. But I didn't. So, he finally said, "But that's why I won’t be here much longer." His voice, also for the first time, was hoarse.  
"Because if you and your siblings work out how to fix things than you'll just go back to being what you were before." It was a statement. Senkis nodded.   
"Alright," I said. "I'll miss you then." My words were gently, and I leaned forward, my nose brushing against the fur on the top of his head.  
Senkis' next expression I had seen before. He looked surprised, like he'd never expected me to say that.  
It was then the wind shifted. We both would probably have never noticed, but I turned my head and looked back in the direction we'd come from.   
Brackenfur?  
My eyes fell on a dark shape, but as soon as I looked, it darted away …


	21. Dovewing

It had been a couple days since the last time Bane had talked to me. I couldn't really understand why. He didn't seem to be avoiding me, but he always seemed to be doing something else. So, it was actually a surprise when he approached me over seven sunrises after the gathering with, "My brother chose a medium." I blinked, setting my mouse I'd been planning to eat down (it was scrawny, and I felt guilty eating it). "Sorry ... what?" I looked around, suddenly worried about who might overhear.  
Bane didn't seem to care, but I did. I pushed the mouse I hadn't even touched yet back to the meager prey pile and brushed past him. If he was really going to do this then I thought we needed the others. However, Bane wasn't done with me yet. "It's Hollyleaf." I stopped; one paw frozen in mid-air. The black she-cat was practically known for not having powers. She wasn't one of the three because _I_ was. I looked back at Bane, eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry?"  
Bane hurried to catch up with me and I noticed his fur was slightly frazzled. Was this that nerve-wracking. "It's Hollyleaf," he repeated. I waved my tail, having him follow me. I didn't see Bloodclaw or Senkis around, but I'd never really talked to them anyway. We hadn't exactly covered this with Lionblaze, and I knew that was wrong, but there just never seemed a way to tell him. Instead, I headed for where Jayfeather was. He wasn't in the medicine cat den, which was one relief at least. I didn't think that I could drag him out with how many cats were in there now all the dens were full. Rainwhisker had come back a couple days ago and a cat called Molepaw that I hadn't even _heard_ of before. But the fact no one had really batted an eyelid at it was almost strange. I'd just said hi to a cat I'd never actually met and it had almost felt normal.  
Jayfeather seemed to catch my scent and seemed to realize that there was yet another meeting. He extracted himself from whatever conversation he was having with Leafpool and walked over. He didn't ask what was going on, he just sighed, looking around.  
"I'll get Hollyleaf," said Bane, bounding away. I could feel a slight spike of surprise from Jayfeather, even though we'd included Hollyleaf and my sister in conversations before. Which reminded me that I should get her as well as Lionblaze. It had been too long since we'd all been on the same page.  
\--  
“My brother seems to have made a choice,” said Bane, after the others had been brought up to speed. “He meant to choose a cat long ago to be his parallel, but he failed to find a suitable candidate. Instead, he choice the best he could.”  
I noticed him glance at Hollyleaf and felt my pelt prickle. But while my pelt was just a bit itchy, Hollyleaf’s bristled. Her eyes narrowed and she snapped, “I _don’t_ have powers.” But Bane didn’t listen to her. He frowned and said, “My eldest brother, Wickedheart, was clear as to what the ability Thinbone would have if he ever cared to pass it on. I admit that we deemed you unsuited for Famine’s abilities.”  
Bloodclaw surprised us all by turning up then, Senkis on her heal. I could see Bane scowl. It deepened as she said, “Yesssss. Because both you and dear Scar over there were always our eldest’s favorite. Wickedheart’s little eyes. You and Scars have always been great little chaos-causers.” She looked so deeply into Hollyleaf’s eyes that I was sure she’d fall in. Hollyleaf clawed at her ears after less than a second, hissing. I saw Bloodclaw start looking excited only for Lionblaze to step in front of her.  
“Stop!” he said. “Stop, all of you.”  
Surprisingly, they did, Hollyleaf forcing her fur to lie flat.  
“I don’t care,” she said curtly. “About any of this. I don’t want powers. I might have before, but I don’t now. I don’t need powers to be a good ThunderClan warrior.”  
Bloodclaw licked her paw, smoothing down the russet fur. “You don’t need to like it,” she said, looking at Hollyleaf with interest and possibly a bit of wariness. “You say you want to be a good ThunderClan warrior? Well, the only way there is going to be a ThunderClan in the near future is if we have the full collection of powers. And currently Thinbone is the only one with powers still to give. Other than Wickedheart.” She looked pointedly at Ivypool and Hollyleaf. “Though that just comes with a pension for causing some interesting twists in the history of the clans.” She cast a glance back in the direction of the camp. “Scars, and you, and that fire-brand. All of you are just the forces of nature in this place.” She chuckled a bit.  
“We need this,” said Bane, mostly ignoring her. “To save the clans. We need to return the dead to the dead and we need to get the linchpin back.”  
Wait …  
“Return the dead back to being dead?” Ivypool cut in before I could, looking shocked. “No! You can’t do that.” She glanced over at Hollyleaf while she said it. But Hollyleaf was saying nothing.  
“I have a plan,” says Bane. “But it will need all of your help. The dead must be returned to the afterlife for things to return to normal.” He was almost talking over Ivypool now.  
Ivypool stood then, after trying to get Hollyleaf’s attention one final time. “I’m out,” she snapped. “I’m not doing it. Those are my clanmates and I don’t see why you can just choose this for them!”  
“You heard what’s going to happen if we don’t,” murmured Hollyleaf. “Or were you even waiting that long to hear it out?” Her words were a bit pained.  
“I don’t care,” snapped Ivypool. “They don’t have to be right.” She spun, about to rush off, but she looked back at all the others. “Come on,” she said, then looked at me.   
I … I didn’t know what to do.   
If I stayed, if Bane was right about his brother being working toward ending the world just for the kicks, then maybe I could stop it. But his price … it seemed to high.  
Slowly, I got to my feet, looking around at the others to see if they were going to go as well. Lionblaze looked uncomfortable and, surprisingly, so did Senkis. But both of them remained where they were sitting as I and Ivypool walked away. No one said a word and Bane … he never met my eyes.


	22. Jayfeather

I looked after the retreating Dovewing and Ivypool and felt horrible. I was a healer. A protector of life. And I’d seen the look Dovewing had shot me.   
I didn’t blame her. Even Senkis looked a little surprised that I was still here. _I_ was still surprised I was here. It was the look on Hollyleaf’s face. It wasn’t the look of someone who felt hopeless and that she wasn’t fitting in when all the cats in ThunderClan looked at her strangely. She had a conviction and understanding in her eyes that I couldn’t quite meet. She knew what Bane was talking about better than Bane could explain.  
Better than I could understand it either. But she would know what was up too, wouldn’t she? She was the one who had returned, not me or Lionblaze.  
“What was your plan?” I asked, voice small. I wasn’t sure if it would work – Bane had said he needed all of us – but when I looked at him, he didn’t seem surprised that some of us had left.  
Bane blinked and then met my eyes. “Yes … well … Hollyleaf’s abilities are to finds things which are lost. Currently that is what our linchpin is.”  
“That just sounds like you only need me,” pointed out Hollyleaf.  
Bane wrinkled his nose. I’d noticed, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one, that he had become more expressive as time went on. “Yes … We need to find someone. You will mention I spoke of Rock?” And here he caught everyone up to speed about Rock. The cat who was not supposed to die, but, mysteriously, he had, and it had started this chain of event.   
“But,” said Bane, picking it all up again. “He isn’t anywhere you can see. Or anywhere in this time or plain of existence.”  
It was my turn to frown. “Does that mean he’s in StarClan?” I _thought_ Bane had mentioned this was Rock we were talking about, which drew up even more questions. Rock wasn’t StarClan material, in my opinion, but I knew he had more dealings with them than the Dark Forest. The thing was, I wasn’t even sure why he was so important. But Bane looked even more annoyed about my interruption than Hollyleaf’s, so I didn’t say anything.  
“No. Rock is not in StarClan. He is immortal. He would be … in my brother Wickedheart’s domain for lack of a better word.”  
Senkis shuffled his paws a bit and then sat straighter. I could tell, suddenly, from his posture that he and Bane must have talked about it. “We can’t do it with Thinbone’s – our brother’s – powers alone. To get there, we will need mine.”  
“But you’re here,” Lionblaze said to Senkis. He didn’t sound like he wanted to contribute to this conversation very much. “I thought that meant your powers were gone.”  
“They are,” said Senkis, sounding committed for once, but also aware of the fact this was a distasteful situation he was in. “While my influence is almost nonexistent now it would take a drastic change in that for you to regain your abilities, Jayfeather.”  
It took a second for the realization to hit me. Lionblaze caught on first. “What? But cats won’t get sick, will they? There’s no way that they can now, right?”  
“Not naturally,” said Bane, far too patiently.  
I wasn’t surprised that Lionblaze stood up then. “Not happening. Find another way.”  
“There is none. Unless you know another way to get to a between realm other than using your brother’s abilities?”  
“It’s not happening!” said Lionblaze, then he looked at me. “Tell him, Jayfeather.”  
I wanted to snap, to say of course it wasn’t, that they’d just need a completely new plan. But all I managed was a sighed in agreement to what Lionblaze was saying. It wasn’t very convincing. “He’s right.”  
“Then deal with the world ending,” Bloodclaw finally snapped, drawing attention back to herself. “It isn’t like there would be any other causalities. Death isn’t working, or hadn’t you noticed?” Her amber eyes were stern. Not blame filled, but they were firm and didn’t leave room to protest.  
Lionblaze found a way. He stood up, tail flicking in small movements. “I think I should have left as well,” he said. Then he turned, following Ivypool and Dovewing. I was about to follow – then to stay – then pushed the thought of what I was being asked to _do_ forward again. Senkis said something and it took a second for me to hear it, “A warrior follows what a leader says. A healer ignores what a leader says if they know something else to be true. They see the pain the battles cause, and they always have to weigh if that pain is worth it. There are better ways to relieve pain and sometimes to do it you have to cause it first.”  
I stopped; eyes hard.  
Swallowing. Turning back.  
Giving in.


	23. Dovewing

Several days had passed since the fiasco that was talking to Bane. Bane was no longer talking to me and I wasn't trying to talk to him either. I wasn't sure what they had discussed when I left, but I felt torn between the choice I had made. And not for the first time.   
“You're staring off into the distance again,” said Honeyfern. I almost jumped. I slowly turned, looking her over for a second, and then blinked. “Sorry.” I hadn't expected anyone to notice. But Honeyfern just seemed amused. “It's fine,” she said. Carefully, the she-cat lowered herself to sit next to me, her whiskers twitching. “Want to talk about it or do you want me to just sit here or …?”   
I didn't want to talk. It was my problem. But even with Ivypool, I still felt I was standing on a patch of ground completely my own. Because of that, I almost wanted to let her in on the turmoil in my head.  
“C-could you sit with me for a bit?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Honeyfern nodded, leaning in a little until her fur gently brushed mine.  
This was so hard. Why had Bane – and Ivypool - put me in this position? Why was I even now stressing about it? There was nothing I could do. I couldn't help Bane. I couldn't. But the problems weren't going away.  
I think my shoulders might have been shaking, because Honeyfern started purring, her tongue rhythmically going over my pelt in reassurance. It might not have calmed me much, but I could focus on it instead of how _scared_ I was. “Thanks,” I said.  
Honeyfern paused long enough to dip her head, a silent you're welcome.  
I slowly got to my feet and said, “I should … probably go on a patrol or something.” I could feel Honeyfern watching me as I walked away. I passed Senkis and Hazeltail sharing prey but ignored him when he looked up. Distantly, I heard Hazeltail comment, “The mouse tastes a bit odd …” But the I walked out of range (something I still hated and wasn’t used to) before I could hear more.  
I didn't want to talk to anyone now.  
Sadly, Ivypool didn't have Jayfeather's powers and decided following me out of camp was alright. She trotted to catch up and I didn't have the heart to tell her to go away. I could feel her fur prickling anyway, ribs sticking out visibly.  
“We won't find anything. It's just Hollyleaf and her “powers” that are doing anything for us now. So … border patrol.” She took the lead without my protest.   
She was right. We didn't find anything. And the border of ShadowClan was just as badly attended as our own. If there was no chance of battle, what was the point? Hollyleaf made it sound like there was just as little food out there as there was within our territory.  
We returned to camp empty-pawed and Ivypool split off, apparently sensing that I wasn't in a good mood.  
As if things couldn't get worse today when it came to interactions, I was then waylaid by Bane. He approached and there was no clear way to avoid him. I froze, praying to the absent StarClan that he'd turn away. But instead he just stood in front of me and said, “Hawkfrost is back. Thought you'd want to know.”  
And then he did turn and walked away. Leaving me with my mouth open as he often did.


	24. Hollyleaf

The look Ivypool gave me, as she coughed in my face, was enough to make me feel like I had died for a second time. It was pure betrayal, and even a bit of hate. "How?" she hacked.   
Senkis had disappeared earlier that morning. I hadn't noticed, but clearly Ivypool had. She'd cornered me, and as fellow clanmates watched, I took another step back. What could I say?  
"Leave her be," said Bane, brushing past Ivypool. "We have to be leaving anyway?"  
With watery eyes, Ivypool looked at him and hissed. I couldn't blame her, but the way she was expressing her anger was wrong. No one would listen to her if she made no sense.  
"It was the food ... wasn't it?"  
Bane had brushed past her enough that there was now enough room for me to squeeze by. I breathed a small sigh of relief right up until the point that Brackenfur hissed at me as well. I looked at him, unsure what to make of that reaction. Everyone else seemed confused.  
Dovewing was out there somewhere, Lionblaze too. Not understanding but also not totally on Ivypool's side. I wasn't sure what to do about that.  
"We're going," Bane repeated.  
"Where?" asked Honeyfern and I paused as she looked us over. I was too busy walking, trying not to meet anyone's eyes, to answer. But of course, Bane took the time for everyone.  
"Somewhere you can't follow."  
"Looks like you're heading for the entrance to me," said Berrynose, snorting.  
"That too," muttered Bane, but otherwise ignored him. Jayfeather was nowhere to be seen, but I wasn't too sure what that meant. Lionblaze, however, was what stopped me.  
"Where are you going?" he asked, worried and I could also hear the hurt in his voice. "I should go -" but I shook my head. He didn't know the plan. "No," I said. "You're needed here. Jayfeather and Bloodclaw are waiting for us, but pretty soon there is going to be something else you have to worry about."  
Bane was directly behind me and he nodded, “The food will run out of the forest within three days of our departure, by Hollyleaf’s understanding … Hawkfrost recently returned. Stay. Protect your clan. My brothers are coming, and you aren’t ready for them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only post my completed works on AO3. If you wish to see my WIP fics (Warriors and otherwise) I suggested following me on here: http://wcrpforums.com as mintedstarfur
> 
> If you wish to begin by reading book three, check out: http://wcrpforums.com/thread/73758/th-wh-st-book-soss  
(Which will be uploaded here as soon as I finish it.)


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